Rolling strong: Austin U16 softball team sweeps Rochester
Published 9:47 pm Monday, June 26, 2017
The Austin U16 softball team has been cruising through the Southeast Fastpitch Conference this season and that continued as Austin swept Rochester by scores of 11-6 in four innings and 16-0 in three innings in Todd Park Monday.
Austin (17-2 overall, 11-0 SFC) trailed 3-2 in the first game, but it bounced back in the bottom of the second inning when Tori Gardner knocked in two runs to put Austin up 4-3. Gardner also picked up the pitching win in the second game as she struck out three and allowed just one hit in three innings.
Gardner said Austin’s squad has come together this summer.
“We have most of our varsity team and we’re facing a lot of sophomores,” she said. “We’re doing really good against some lesser pitchers and we’re hitting the ball way better [than in the spring]. We feel like we’re having more fun, we’re more relaxed and we’re playing more as a team.”
Hannah McMasters went four-for-five with four RBIs on the day for Austin, which has qualified to play in the NAFA tournament in Shoreview, Minn.
“We’re having more fun and we’re getting along more,” McMasters said. “We’ve had some good at bats and we’ve been confident.”
Rochester 1 2 0 3 — 6 6 2
Austin 2 4 4 1 — 11 10 4
Austin pitching: Hannah Rasmussen (W) 4 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 6 R, 2 ER, 4 K, 1 HBP
Austin hitting: Halie Retterath, 0-for-2, R, BB; Rasmussen, 3-for-3, RBI, 2 R, SB, BB; Hannah Biwer, 2-for-2 RBI, 3 R, SB, BB; Hannah McMasters, 2-for-3, 2 RBIs, 3 R; Tori Gardner, 1-for-2, R, BB, SB; Jada Kresbach, 0-for-1, 2 SB, 2 BBs; Elora Hughes, 1-for-2, RBI, SB, BB; Katelyn Murphy, 0-for-3; Grace Pazurek, 1-for-2, RBI, BB
Austin 2 12 2 — 16 10 1
Rochester 0 0 0 — 0 1 3
Austin pitching: Gardner (W) 3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 3 K, 1 HBP
Austin hitting: McMasters, 2-for-2, 3 RBIs, 2 R, SB, BB; Gardner, 0-for-2, R, BB; Kresbach, 2-for-3, 2 R; Hughes, 0-for-2, 2 R, SB, BB; Murphy, 0-for-1, R, 2 BBs; Pazurek, 2-for-3, 3 RBIs, R, SB; Retterath, 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 SB; Rasmussen, 1-for-1, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB, BB; Biwer, 1-for-2, 2 RBIs, 2 R, SB